Dodge County, Minnesota

Early Norwegian Settlement

The first Norwegian settlers in Dodge County included Knut Rockne from Voss, Louis Evenson Folkestad from Bø, Telemark, Ole Benson from Valdres, Jacob Helgesen Dalen, and Anders Christophersen. They settled in the vicinity of Mantorville in 1854. They were soon followed by Johannes Bendikson Fjerestad and Bottolf Larson Eithoren from Vik, Sogn, Hans Kittelsen and Jacob Hansen from Kviteseid, Telemark, Ole Monsen from Voss, and Tollef Hellicksen from Valdres.

The Oslo Settlement

The first Norwegian settlers in the vicinity of Oslo included John Kittelsen, Nils Sjursen Gilderus, Andreas Torgrimsen Moen, Jacob Knudsen Thoe, Ole O. Lia, Helleck Gulbrandsen Waagtveit, Erik Reiersen Bakko, Halvor Knudsen Berg, Erik Clausen Himle, Lars Sjursen Gilderus, Ole Olsen Esterli, Torgrim Torgrimson Moen, Isak Anderson, Anders Ellefsen, Erik Knudsen Torvik, and Sjur Olsen Brækhus. They came from Dane County, Wisconsin. Wheat became their principal crop. Winona, about seventy miles away, was their nearest major market, and the settlers relied on oxen for both plowing and transportation.

Pioneer Life

The great distances between farms during the early settlement period were illustrated by an incident from the St. Olaf Settlement. An elderly man set out in foggy weather to borrow a large kettle from a neighbor. On his way home, he lost his bearings and wandered through the unsettled countryside until he reached Brownsdale, about twenty miles southwest of his home. Unable to find his way back from there, he continued to High Forest in Olmsted County, about sixteen miles southeast of his home, where he finally reached a road he recognized. He carried the kettle with him throughout the entire journey.

Churches and Congregations

By 1905, Dodge County had five Norwegian congregations and three churches. Three congregations belonged to the Norwegian Synod, one to the United Church, and one to Hauge’s Synod.

Public Office

The first Norwegian known to have held public office in the county was L. G. Nelson from Naas, Drangedal, who was elected Register of Deeds in 1872. That same year, John N. Hansen from Furnes, Hedmark, was elected to the Minnesota State Legislature.

Norwegian Place Names

Dodge County once had two post offices with Norwegian names, Thoe and Oslo. Both had been discontinued by 1905.

Sources:

[Ulvestad, Martin. Nordmændene i Amerika. Utg. History Book Company's Forlag. Minneapolis, Minn. 1907.]